Buying Process


1Arranging your mortgage

It is important to have your finances in place before you start looking for a property to avoid missing out on your ideal property once you find it. This will also gage the type of property you can expect to buy. If you are a cash buyer, we will offer properties within your financial capacities. If you have money in savings or shares, make sure you can access them easily and that they are not any timelines to withdrawal. If you need a mortgage, we recommend you consult a mortgage advisor to figure out how much you can spend on buying a property.

2Register your interest

You can register with us, either through our website or by contacting us directly. We update our website daily in addition we are subscribed to a central property database and have access to all properties on the market for sale or rental, we will also offer you our list of ‘off market’ property/ies, which are not advertised on the open market. With this there will be no reason for you to register with other agents and confuse yourself and risk duplicating viewing for the same property/ies. When you register with us, we will be able to alert you of any new suitable properties that comes to the market via email or phone. When we send you a property which might be of interest to you, contact us straight away and we will gladly schedule a viewing.

3Finding the right property

We will dedicate our time and attention to finding you the property most suitable to your needs. We will advise you on available properties in the area you are looking for and accompany you on viewings until you decide on the property which is right for you.

4The key to successful viewings

Our highly motivated and skilled team will sit with you and understand exactly what type of property you are after. You might want to buy to invest, or modernize and re-let or re-sell, or buy-to-let. We will go through a checklist of different properties and options and their criteria to shortlist the properties which would best suit your needs. We will then accompany you to view the properties you selected, explain the different aspects of the property and its surroundings, all the while answering any concerns you might have to finally agree a property you would like to offer on.

5Instructing a solicitor

It is a good idea to instruct a solicitor in the early stage of the process. This way once an offer is agreed, you will be in a position to lock the property you want and proceed quickly. If you do not already have a solicitor, we are able to recommend a proficient team of solicitors we have worked with and have achieved quick and efficient sales transaction.

6Making an offer

Once you find the property suitable for you, we will use our expertise and make a market study of comparable of properties which have recently sold in the same building, street or area to enable you to place an educated sale offer that will make the most financial sense for you. We will forward your offer on your behalf to the seller and confirm your intention to fund the property and advise you on the non-refundable deposit or exclusivity request if applicable, if you are a cash buyer, you will need to provide evidence of your finances while the solicitor conducts the proper checks. If you have a mortgage arranged, we will ask you to provide an ‘agreement in principle’ (AIP) certificate and we will require the details of your financial advisor to determine the exact time frame to process the application.

7Offer agreed

Once the offer has been agreed, we will forward to your and the seller’s solicitors the MOS or Memorandum of Sale containing the terms and conditions of the purchase. During this time, you would need to be in close contact with your solicitor and us until contracts have been exchanged. Offers are not legally binding until contracts have been exchanged. We will also be available to answer any question you might have during this process and we will also provide you with a guide to conveyancing to assist you through this process.

8Conveyancing

This is your solicitor’s responsibility to conduct the proper checks and paperwork in order to prepare the sale contract for you.

9Survey and mortgage offer

If you have a mortgage arranged, a survey of the property will be conducted by a surveyor on behalf of the mortgage lender. Once the survey report has been received and is a satisfactory one, your lender will then issue the mortgage offer to your solicitor. You may wish to conduct your own chartered surveyor to highlight any possible problem that may need addressing at the property. Generally there are two types of survey you can buy; a homebuyer's report and a building survey.

10Exchange of contracts

Exchange of contracts is when the sale becomes legally binding on both sides. You can only exchange once you have paid a deposit of usually 5% or 10% of the purchase price to your solicitors account. Your solicitor will inform you once the contracts have been exchanged and they will also notify us. The completion date is set by mutual agreement and is legally binding.

Fees

Refundable Holding deposit - Capped at 1 weeks rent

Security Deposit - Capped at 5 weeks rent for annual rental under £50,000, or 6 weeks rent for annual rental over £50,000

Rent - The agreed monthly rent

Changes to tenancy - Capped at £50 inc VAT

Early termination charge - Not exceeding the landlord’s financial losses

Late payment of rent - Interest of 3% above BoE base rate for each day the rent is late, once it is 14 days overdue

Replacement keys - Reasonable costs or give the tenant the option to purchase themselves

Utilities, council tax, communication services, TV Licence etc - Tenants own responsibility unless otherwise stated in contract

Client Money Protection Scheme Membership details - Client Money Protection Provided by CMP, Membership No: CMP002304

Property Redress Scheme Membership details - The law requires your membership details